Oriental Bird Club’s 2012 trip to NE Tibet

It’s not too late to sign up for Oriental Bird Club’s 2012 trip to NE Tibet, China’s Qinghai Province!

Tour dates are 5-26 August 2012. The birds, the mammals, the ‘breath-taking’ scenery, an abundance of wildflowers, a stimulating mix of local cultures, highly enjoyable food & comfortable – from ‘OK’ to ‘surprisingly good’ – accommodations all come together to produce a trip the more memorable for the region – though in many ways an indisputable ‘must’ destination for anyone hooked on Palearctic and/or Asian birds – being rather off the beaten birdwatchers’ trail. We are hoping to see all of the endemic & near-endemic birds of NE Tibet, including the tricky Tibetan Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes thibetana, no less than six species of Snowfinch, and what must be the prettiest of all Redstarts, Przvalski’s (or ‘Ala Shan’) Phoenicurus alashanicus. Special care have been taken to acclimatize gradually to altitude, and our pace will allow anyone reasonably fit to fully enjoy their visit to a very special part of Asia.

The trip will GO so you can sign up now & plan flights, leave etc without having to wait until the last moment for confirmation. If you can think of anyone among your birdwatching friends and contacts who may want to go but may NOT be aware of this opportunity please let them know – anything you do in support of OBC’s Conservation Fund will be most gratefully appreciated (even if no one actually signs up as a result!).

This posting is for those of you who have not come across mention of this trip in OBC’s publications (the tour is open to anyone, not only to OBC members) or on the OBC website, and for those who have but are not aware that there are still a few places left.

You can learn more about what OBC’s Conservation Fund is about at:
http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/conservation/index.html

A part of what people going on our trips pay end up in OBC’s Conservation Fund.

Anyone interested in joining this trip would do well to contact OBC’s Promotions Officer Michael Edgecombe via mail(at)orientalbirdclub.org …Mike was the first to sign up for the first trip and has again volunteered to do what he can on behalf of the OBC.

You may also want to visit www.orientalbirdimages.org to refresh your memory re how some of the expected species look. A number of these images were obtained on previous OBC Fundraisers.

The 2011 trip report can now be reached via the following link – a quick look will dispel any doubts that August is an ideal time to visit NE Tibet:

http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports/asia/China_NETibet_OBC_Aug2011_JHornskov.pdf

In 2011 some of us continued to Beidaihe, on the coast E of Beijing:

http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports/asia/China_Beidaihe_Aug2011_JesperHornskov.pdf

… a glance at the list linked to above will explain why 2012 participants are encouraged to seriously consider staying on for a few days!

A number of older reports can be found via:

http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports.php?id=list_reports&region=7

Hoping to see you for some good birding!

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